Packaging material evaluation and apparatus therefor for sensing packaging material flaws
AssigneeLantech.com, LLC
InventorsPatrick R Lancaster, III, Michael P. Mitchell, Christian Michael Gruner, Jean-Louis Limousin
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A method, apparatus and program product may evaluate a packaging material to determine various metrics associated with the packaging material. An apparatus may be used to sense flaws in packaging material, and in some instances, to accommodate such flaws by temporarily increasing a dispense rate of a packaging material dispenser.
Claims17
A method of controlling an apparatus to wrap a body with packaging material dispensed from a packaging material dispenser through relative rotation between the packaging material dispenser and the body, the method comprising:
- sensing a packaging material hole during a wrap operation that wraps a body with packaging material as the packaging material is conveyed between a packaging material roll and the body by the packaging material dispenser using a sensor;
- and
- during the wrap operation and in response to sensing the packaging material hole using the sensor, temporarily increasing a dispense rate of the packaging material dispenser as the packaging material hole is conveyed to the body to reduce propagation of the packaging material hole and thereby avert a film break in the packaging material.
An apparatus, comprising:
- a packaging material delivery system configured to convey a web of packaging material from a packaging material roll to a body to wrap the body with packaging material dispensed from the packaging material dispensing system through relative rotation between the packaging material dispensing system and the body;
- and
- a controller coupled to the packaging material delivery system and configured to wrap the body with packaging material during a wrap operation by:
- controlling the packaging material delivery system to convey the web of packaging material from the packaging material roll to the body;
- sensing a packaging material hole during the wrap operation as the packaging material is conveyed between the packaging material roll and the body using a sensor;
- and
- during the wrap operation and in response to sensing the packaging material hole using the sensor, temporarily increasing a dispense rate of the packaging material dispensing system as the packaging material hole is conveyed to the body to reduce propagation of the packaging material hole and thereby avert a film break in the packaging material.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.